the pro-European Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, in the lead in the first round

The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, came on Sunday, November 24 at the head of the first round of the presidential election in Romania, according to two exit polls which place his rivals neck and neck.

When the polling stations closed in the early evening, the head of the social-democratic government was credited with 25% of the votes, ahead of Elena Lasconi (18%), center-right mayor of a small town. For their part, the two far-right candidates, the pro-Russian candidate Calin Georgescu and George Simion (Alliance for the Unity of Romanians), failed, according to these two polls, to qualify for the second round by collecting only 16% and 15% each.

Mr Ciolacu, a 56-year-old pro-European, thanked his voters for giving him this top spot, a result “crystal clear”while calling for waiting for the full count to know who he will face on December 8. M^me Lasconi, a 52-year-old former journalist turned politician, also called for caution. “The scores are very close, it is not yet time to celebrate”she said.

“Vital” role

Mr. Simion, whose certain polls before the first round had placed him in the race for the second round, did not admit defeat. “We will see the results of the polls at 11 p.m.” (10 p.m. Paris time), he declared, however already promising “two more battles”during the legislative elections of 1^is December and a week later for the second round of the presidential election.

After ten years in power of Klaus Iohannis, fervent supporter of kyiv and tireless advocate of European values, this election carries heavy stakes, even if the position of president is essentially ceremonial.

Romania, which shares a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine and is bordered by the Black Sea, plays a strategic role « vital »recalls in a study by the New Strategy Center think tank. Both for NATO, of which it houses more than 5,000 soldiers, and for the transit of Ukrainian cereals.